Otmoor RSPB Reserve

Otmoor photograph

Otmoor Nature Reserve

By Neil Lambert, RSPBIn the past, Otmoor was a magnificent natural wetland. Flood water would lie throughout the winter and some areas would remain wet and marshy throughout the summer months. A mosaic of pools, ditches, water courses and wet grazing marshes developed and it has been described as 'a languorous East Anglian fen transplanted into the heart of Oxfordshire'.The wildlife of the moor must have been fantastic. In the 19th century Bittern and Black Tern nested and there is reference to the vast flocks of wintering waterfowl, with wildfowl being collected on 'an industrial scale' for the markets in Oxford and beyond.RSPB Otmoor is a nature reserve, run by the RSPB, within the wider area of Otmoor, in Oxfordshire, England. It was established in 1997 and restored large areas of marshland.

Otmoor is primarily wetland and in winter provides a home to thousands of waterfowl. It is increasingly becoming a vital wintering ground for thousands of wildfowl and waders. Over a thousand wigeons and teals have been recorded, whilst birds of prey such as merlins and peregrines are regularly seen. Large areas of Otmoor have benefited from extensive agriculture using traditional methods, resulting in good numbers of songbirds which are otherwise declining in the UK. These include: bullfinches, skylarks, reed buntings, grasshopper warblers and European turtle doves pictured.

Spring and autumn both produces good numbers of passage migrants, including waders in the spring and common redstarts and whinchats in the autumn. The best time for marsh harriers is late April to mid-May. There are good numbers of breeding waders and recent RSPB work has increased the number of pairs of northern lapwings and common redshanks.

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